The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-01-14
IT.

for such a deed! Portland Road and Baker
Street were passed, and still no one broke or
looked in upon the solitude Of the dead man
At Edgware Road, however, a lady entered
the compartment. The next moment there
was a scream, and Il rush OF officials TO the
spot. Tbc lady, half -~fainting, was helped on
TO the platform; station-master, inspectors,
aud police were called, and messages were dis
patched along the line TO temporarily suspend
the traffic. 1t was all done in a very few min.
uteS. The BODY, after a rapid bat ken survey
of its position and surroundings, was carefully
removed. and the Jews flew like wildfre that
what was evidently a CHASTITY suicide had been
discovered on the underground railway. Then
the carriage-doOr was locked, and the pasSen-
gers were briefly Intercepted, without, now
ever, any light being thrown on the case.
Their names and addresses were taken as q
precautionary measure. Among them there
was but one frst-class traveller, a tall man,
who directly the excitement arose, emergered
from a compartment three removed from that
in which the tragedy had been enacted. Prob
ably it was the fact Of his being a passenger
in the same class As the deceased that brought
upon him a closer examination at the hands
of a police sergeant than the others had been
subjected to.
Where had he entered the trainl
At Baker-st there vas his ticket from that
station to Noting Hill Gate clipped in the
usual way. q
Had he seen or heard anything unusual!
Nothing whatever.
Would he oblige with his name and ad-
dress!
Certainly. There WAS his card; Mr.. Jules
Merlin, Chepstow villas, ".
This on the sergeaut's part was all for the
sake of doing something. He was perfectly
satisfied in his mind that the case in hand was
one of determined suicide; still caution and
diligence, even If simleSS, looked well, and
we're regarded as praiseworthy even if profit
less at headquarters. 1t was to the persistent
application of common place abilities that he
owed his promotion from the ranks. On this
occasion he even went so far as to take down
a description of Mr.. Merlin; ~thus-face, mar
row. ~gOOd-iOOkiug, clean-shaven, and dark.
Hair also dark. Age about forty. Figure,
tall, thin, straight, and Strengthening,
Clothes, check trousers, dark o~vercoat with
velvet collar, brown kid gloves, silk handker-
chief, low hard fel: black hat and umbrella
very wet. Mr. Merlin having borne the ser
geant's %inquisition with patient amiabiiity,
looked again at the body and said, Poor dew
IL! he must have been out of his mind Then
he re-entered the train as it started again on
its way.
The dead mans identity was very quickly
established. Letters we're found upon him adj
dressed to David Cowen, ESQ, with the name
of a house and street at K~ensington, aud his
card bore the same name and address. The
discovery of valuable iewelry and a fairly large
sum Of money went toward confirming the DO
lice in their theory of suicide. The body was
conveyed to the morgue, where, within, two
hours, it was visited by q woman, tall and
beautiful, but with wild terror filled eyes, and
face as pale as the quiet dead.
Yes, it was her husband, the body they
showed her. She had been waiting dinner for
him, he being later than she expeced; but she
had felt no fear until the messenger came,
and now she knew shat he had been murdered.
So she said; and the men were silent before
the terrible calmness Of her grief and despair
y x y 4 4
Suicide. A clear case, Temporary insani-
ty. Murder impossible on the Underground
Railway.
So the murderer had said 80 the police said,
aud so also said the public. This general YER
dict was gratifying to all three. But it was
doomed to be disturbed, IL not utterly shaken.
AT the coroner's inquest a clerk of the Far
rington Street Station came forward and spoke
OF the bearded man, who ON the night in ques-
ton, as nearly as possible at half-past seven,
had tokon a 6rcf ala az ttoHak To- n0u~o~ C+-oo@
He remembered the circumstance perfectly,
because the gentleman had forgotten his UNI
brella, which was dry and furled, and which
he, the witness, had called him back TO re-
ceive. The ticket collector at Grower Street
did not remember a person of that description
chow could he remember every one who pass
ed through the gatesi) but a frst-ciass ticket
from F~arringdon had been collected at that
time.
The evidence Of the doctor who examined
the body was still more disturbing to the pop
ular theory. DR.. Ford was a man In the prime
of life, and a widower. He possessed a con-
siderable practice, was practical, hard-headed.
and, like all practical men, somewhat obsti-
nate, and he had the reputation of being keen
and clever. When, therefore, he stood up Ia
bnc "itncsouVA anu gave IL rs MS positive
conviction that the fatal wound In the dead
mans breast could not possibly be self-inHict-
ed, he inspired some belief, at least In the
minds of people who knew him we'll The cor
oner, sceptical but courteous, asked what
grounds the witness had for his opinion.
II compared the deceased's arm with the
depth Of the wound, ; replied the doctor, and
found that his strength could not have been
sufficient 70 drive the knife so far 1t should
be mentioned that the weapon was a common
dagger such as may be seen In the window Of
any cutters shop.
1t was here suggested that the knife was
not driven in BY one blow but pressed 10, but
DR.. Ford very readily confuted that theory.